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Sex! Violence! Bullfights! Smoking! Great music!
Georges Bizet's Carmen is one of the world's best-loved operas.
It tells the story of the Spanish gypsy girl, Carmen who took love
all too lightly. From the opening of the opera in front of a cigarette
factory to the dramatic conclusion of the story in front of the
bullring, very little of human emotion remains unsung. This booklist
is designed for the opera-lover and the opera-neophyte in celebration
of Boston Lyric Opera's "Carmen on the Common" and its
preview performances at the Boston Public Library.

Baker's Dictionary of Opera by Laura Kuhn
Over 1,000 entries of mostly composers, conductors, and singers

Bizet and His World by Mina Curtiss
A brilliant recreation of a whole glamorous Parisian era as it swirls,
sparkles and darkens around the composer of Carmen

Bravo!: A Guide to Opera for the Perplexed by Barrymore
Laurence Sherer
A book designed for opera fan.

Bullfighting: Art, Technique & Spanish Society by John
McCormick
An examination of the role of bullfighting in Spanish culture

Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway
The ultimate romantic view of bullfighting

Die Upon a Kiss by Barbara Hambly
This historic novel takes place in 1835 New Orleans and involves
the murder of two members of the local opera company.

Diva: The New Generation by Helena Matheopoulos
The sopranos and mezzo sopranos of our times discuss their lives
and roles.

The Fate of Carmen by Evlyn Gould
Examines three versions of Carmen: the opera by Georges Bizet, the
novella by Prosper Merimee, and the film by Carlos Saura

Georges Bizet by Martin Cooper
A musicological biography of the composer with extensive description
of Carmen

Gramercy Park by Paula Cohen
This historical novel takes place in 1890s New York and involves
a famed Italian tenor Mario Alfieri who upsets the city's rigid
class structure.

A History of the Gypsies by David M. Crowe.
Explores the prejudices about and mistreatment of these wandering
people

The Keys to French Opera in the Nineteenth Century: Bizet and
the Search for Stylistic Mobility by Hervé Lacombe
Describes main elements of French opera: composition and production,
words, music and drama, interaction of society, genre, and aesthetics

Molto Agitato: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Opera
by Johanna Fiedler
A behind-the-scenes look at the larger-than-life personalities and
issues at the Metropolitan Opera

A Night at the Opera: An Irreverent Guide to the Plots, the Singers,
the Composers, the Recordings by Sir Denis Forman
A guide to the opera and opera-going culture spiced with personal
commentary

The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Opera by William Berger
Recommended recordings and fun facts.

On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy
A beautifully written description of the art of bullfighting

Opera for Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck.
Presents a detailed description of the opera-going experience for
the novice

Opera: The Rough Guide by Matthew Boyden
A definitive handbook written for a younger adult audience

Operatic Subjects: The Evolution of Self in Modern Opera
by Sandra Corse
A scholarly look at the way opera explains inner consciousness